Monday, January 2, 2012

I can't believe the New Year is already here! It always amazes me how much can happen in one year. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing about the events of the past year. Even the hard times have made the good times sweeter and more rewarding, and I think this next year will bring some fun and very wonderful changes.

Right now I have some fun projects in the works. I am right in the midst of decorating and furnishing an entire home for a new client, finishing up a kitchen and living room remodel, and starting a baby nursery. I always love the challenge of making each room unique to each of my clients...that's what keeps me going.

This fabric is the inspiration for the nursery I'm working on. Could you die!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

I love the way this room turned out. It totally fits the soft and dainty feel of the 18-month-old that rules this house!

I asked my friend, Kelly Henderson, to create a flowering vine for me that would be a backdrop to the crib. Once again, she amazed me with how creative she is!

This darling alphabet is just a piece of wrapping paper that we loved so much we had it framed.

My client already had these cute letters for her daughters name, so we repurposed them and painted them white. I used some of the flowers that Kelly made and the little bluebird to give us a unique twist.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

I get so excited to decorate for Christmas and love how warm and cozy my house feels when the tree is all lit up and the fire is going.

Usually I glam up my mantle with a big garland and lights and decor. This year I wanted to simplify a little, so I used fresh pine boughs along with a couple of other types of fresh greens available this time of year and went with it. I like the earthy feel that it has.

My tree is filled with ornaments collected through the years on our travels. It's so fun to hang those ornaments and remember those fun memories of trips and times together. I also love the ornaments that my kids have made at school and various places. This year, my 7 year old made a bunch of paper bows and ornaments that I'm crazy about!

At Christmas, I always pull out my Grandmother's old collection of wood dolls that my Grandfather brought home for her after serving in Europe in World War II. Each one is hand done and definitely one of my prized treasures.

My girls both take guitar. Best thing we ever did! I love to listen to them sing and practice everyday. Usually they are strumming and singing to Taylor Swift or the Beatles or some other fabulous artist, but at my daughters last lesson, she really wanted to learn the song "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". I don't know if you have heard it or not, but boy, it's hard to keep a straight face as she belts it out in full vibrato, strumming along. Pretty funny memory. My older daughter is learning to pick on her guitar right now and I could listen to "Silent Night" forever.

We have elves that visit our home during the Christmas season. They come first on Thanksgiving night with some new warm pajamas and through the Christmas season the girls and the elves exchange notes. The girls love this tradition and it is so fun to watch the excitement.

A few more random pictures...

Are you ready for Christmas? Enjoy time with family and friends. That is what makes this time of year so great! What are your traditions?

-toss together the pomegranate, tomato, green onions, salt, pepper and lime juice.
-cut the avocado and gently mix in
-Serve with chips and enjoy!

(I buy my pomegranate already seeded from Costco, it's much easier this way. You'll find them in the refrigerated fruits and vegetables section. If you can't make it to Costco, use the seeds of two pomegranates)

Monday, November 14, 2011

in your home...where do you start? The easiest place to begin is by starting an idea book. When I meet with new clients, I ask them to have some inspiration photos ready to show me their style and taste.

Here is an example of my inspiration folder. I started it years ago by tearing out pages from magazines of design style I loved. Long before we started remodeling our house, I had a folder stuffed with ideas from my favorite websites and magazines. It was kind of like having my own personal style library with images of rooms, furniture and paint color (even random paint samples I loved).

By the time we were ready to purchase new sofas and start making big changes, I felt like I had a pretty clear direction of where I wanted to go based on the pictures I had collected. Even today my inspiration folder serves as a good reference point for project ideas I am working on.

Some of my favorite magazines to pull inspiration from are House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Traditional Home, Veranda, Architectural Digest, and Cottage Living. I also love online magazines such as Lonny, TradHome, and Rue. I also get great ideas from catalogues like Anthropologie, JCrew, and Serena and Lily. Even when I'm window shopping, I'll snap pictures on my phone of things that I love. I hang on to the magazines that are packed full of beautiful ideas and things that interest me (which seem to be a lot based on the piles of magazines around me).

Even if you think you're a few years from making design changes, go ahead and start your inspiration binder today. Begin by cutting out images you love in your favorite catalogs, magazines and websites and I think you'll have fun seeing your ideas come together. Maybe you'll use your inspiration book tomorrow or in a year, but it can be a great resource for when you're ready to make your space unforgettable.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

I'm so excited to show you all the finished product of a remodel I have been working on the past few months. The floors have been redone, we've moved some walls and opened up the layout, the walls have a fresh new color and coat of paint, kitchen cabinets and all the built in's have been installed, and now the really fun part begins. The details. It's all in the details (I know, I always say that!). One of those details that should be arriving any day now is the chandelier over the kitchen table...and I can't wait!

Lighting is one of most important decisions made in designing a room. The placement and scale of a fixture is crucial in creating a warm and inviting and well planned out space. It's one thing you want to splurge on.

We went through lots of options for this kitchen and here are the finalists. Can you guess which one we picked?

Circa Lighting

Circa Lighting

Aidan Grey

Aidan Grey

Don't you love them all? And they all portray my client so well! In the end we chose the first one with a hand rubbed brass finish. I have been looking for the perfect table and chairs and just found the most amazing set. They are from France in the early 1930's and have a bit of a farmhouse feel to them (they are unbelievable!) and so I wanted to go a little more streamlined with the light fixture just to mix it up a little. The one we chose is from Circa Lighting and here is a photo from Circa of this fixture in a room, you'll love it.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

This fabulous peacock was the perfect inspiration for this family room. The colors and texture create such a fun palette to work with. Isn't it great? We found it on Etsy and immediately began the design process from there. I had so much fun putting this space together and it was so different from anything I've ever done before. My clients husband is CEO of Skullcandy, and they have such a fun, edgy vibe to them that we took the liberty to mix in some unexpected elements. I love the way it turned out.